My etsy shop has been a little empty because I’ve been busy with lots of custom bag orders. This past week, I finished four bags and I have another one left to do. I’ve also been inspired by St. Patrick’s Day and have been working on some green items. I’ll post them in the next few days. Meanwhile, here are the latest bags.
Remember my first sleep sack? I finished the other one and just in time. Bella had outgrown her size medium Halo sacks, so I had to get this one done. I just love these sacks. The fleece is so soft and warm—much cozier than the Halo sacks. They make me want to sew one in a grownup size.
Remember when I had that cute-as-a-button card idea in my head and it just wouldn’t go away until I made them? Well, I’ve had another idea bouncing around in the ol’ cabeza for awhile: knitting with grocery bags. I didn’t invent the idea. Lots of people have been doing it for years. We even had a program on it at knitting group last month. That’s what really got me excited to try it. I had wound some plastic bag “yarn” using the loop method and planned to knit up two squares to make a zippered tote. I had an eight-inch zipper recycled from a pair of T’s old pants that I was going to use.
Well, knitting with double-thick Target bag yarn was horrible. The bags are sticky and even with size 13 straights, knitting a square was brutal on my wrists. I couldn’t bear another square, so I folded it in half, seamed up the sides, and made a clutch instead.
I was surprised at how frustrating it was to knit this up, especially because the resulting knit “fabric” is so flexible. It’s actually kind of soft. And I really liked the texture.
The lining came from the same pants as the zipper. Sewing that in was also a challenge!
Even after I finished this project, I still couldn’t let go of the idea. I wanted a successful project. So I wound some more plastic yarn using a very cool single-ply method that Jennifer showed us at knitting group. Unfortunately, Jennifer is blogless, but she brought some very cool items for show-n-tell. She’s crocheted rugs, totes and even place mats out of bags. A few weeks ago she showed me how to make a crocheted tote bag. Here’s the base:
I like how this is shaping up much better and it is much easier to crochet the single-ply yarn. I also like the texture; it kind of looks like a woven basket.
The only problem is now that I’ve had some success, my interest has kind of dropped off a little bit. I do a few rounds here and there, but not every day. Don’t expect any updates on this project anytime soon. Maybe in a few months I’ll have some progress to show.
My friend Joanne asked me to make a custom bag for her, but she left all of the color choices up to me. Her only request was that I used colors that said “Spring” or at least did not say “it will be cold and dark forever.”
This wool felted up so soft! I wish I knew more about what kind it was, but the label just said 100% wool. I have some left over that I’m thinking about making into a scarf. It would be so soft around the neck!
You know how some kids have imaginary friends? We think M has an imaginary dog. She’ll walk around the house slapping her thigh shouting Dawg! when clearly there are no stuffed dogs, wooden dogs, dog pictures, dogs barking outside, blocks with dogs — you get the idea.
Last weekend T had a little talk with her about these dog outbursts. He told her that Mom wasn’t ready for a dog and probably wouldn’t be for a long time. If she wanted a pet, she should start asking for something small, like a fish. It was a cute conversation.
Later that night I got this FreeCycle email: Offer – goldfish with two bowls, food, a net and supplies. Kind of weird, don’t you think? Things get taken so fast on FreeCycle that when I responded I didn’t expect that I would actually get it. Well, I did. I took it as a sign. Meet the littlest Kundhi:
He doesn’t have a name yet. I was thinking Enzo because he’s a really fast swimmer.
Enzo sounds a lot like Elmo, though, and I didn’t want M to get confused between fish and furry red muppets. T was thinking Victor Vito or Freddie Vasco, but aren’t they bears?
What do you think, blog readers? Help us name our fish!
I know I said I didn’t have any New Year’s resolutions and then I mentioned the whole I Want to Read More thing. Well, here’s another non-resolution. We are trying very hard to get rid of our extra stuff, but we really don’t want it sitting in a landfill somewhere. My friend Sarah encouraged me to join our local FreeCycle because she thought it would be a good way for me to get sweaters for my bags. I never expected it to have such a big impact on our lives. Everyone is so appreciative of what you have to give.
Our most exciting story is about our gas grill. It’s been sitting unused in our garage for over four years. We have a grill on our cooktop that we love and use all year round. We’ve been thinking of getting rid of it, but what do you do with a gas grill? Haul it up to Goodwill? Would it even fit in our car? Then one day a FreeCycle email landed in my inbox: Wanted: Gas Grill. I’m pretty sure this couple was expecting a small gas grill. When they came to pick it up, they were kind of floored. Later that evening I got the nicest email from them. They had already used it and were so excited to have it. They planned on using it lots in the future. That made us feel so good—instead of wasting away in our garage or the landfill, our grill was cooking up food for another family.
Slowly I keep gathering up stuff and listing it for others. I’m amazed at some of the stuff that has been hauled away from our house. Remember way back when the wind blew our patio furniture all around the backyard and broke our table?
Someone actually wanted the frame. They came to pick it up within 24 hours. We couldn’t believe it. That’s something that even Goodwill wouldn’t have wanted.
We’ve had a lot of success with this and I encourage you keep your unwanted stuff out of the landfill, too. Each city is different, so I can’t guarantee that you will have the same luck that we have had. Also, you should be safe. Request pick ups in the evening or weekend when more than one person is home. Leave items on the porch or in the driveway instead of answering your door whenever possible. Try it, though. You never know what your neighbors need. Who knows, you might find something you need, too!
Details can be found at my etsy store. I hope she likes it as much as I do!
Here are pics of my new sweaters. A few have already been felted and are ready to become bags!
